The Ugly Stain
by Yosuke
Summary: Remember when Kyou was afraid of the stain in Kazuma's kitchen? Kyou sure does... Whether that's a good or bad thing, though, he can't quite figure out. Rated for language, based off volume 9.


The Ugly Stain  
Yosuke  
PG-13  
Drama/General

AN: I remembered the chapter in book 9 about Kyou having a fear of the stain in Kazuma's home, and I always just found that really funny, so I decided to make a fic on it! Yup, I make fics over the smallest things... I call that being "different". And I certainly love being different in this aspect.

Furuba not mine.

* * *

He'd tried to make it inconspicuous... He avoided the kitchen at all costs. Not because Kazuma might be in there, cooking up some concoction someone might possibly call "food", not because there might be other students in there who disliked him, but because...

...of the face.

Yes, there was a face in the kitchen. An ugly one, too. Black and distorted. It looked like a monster. Kyou hated it. Ever since he'd gone to live with Kazuma, that face had been there, staring at him, watching him, calling him over and threatening to devour him with its sharp teeth and torturous look. Kyou even dreaded walking _by_ the kitchen, fearing that the face would leap out and get him. Other students teased him. They said the face was an ogre, a children eating ogre with a particular taste for cats. Kyou hated it, and he hated them. But it still scared him. Even then, as he stood in the hallway leading past the kitchen, he could hear the vicious tongue slither out and hiss in a taunting manner. He clenched his little fists, swallowing, his mouth dry, then began to take a few timid steps down the hallway.

"Kyou, what are you doing?"

The boy nearly jumped out of his skin. Darting around, he peered up at the towering figure of his teacher. Kazuma's head was cocked to the side, staring at him curiously. "M-Master, I was just..."

"Are you hungry?" He smiled at the eight year old and walked past him. "Shall I cook something?"

"NO!" Kyou lunged at him, grabbing his robe and pulling. Kazuma stopped and looked to see the panicked face staring up at him. "I sorta don't wanna die!"

Kazuma laughed. "Oh please, please, no need to insult me," he chimed, waving a hand innocently. "Fine, you can get something yourself. But you need to get back to your studies."

"Yes, Master." Kyou's head lowered as he watched his teacher walk down the hall, past the kitchen, past _the face_. Kyou wanted to go into the kitchen. He was feeling the munchies coming on and he needed to quiet his stomach, but unfortunately that wasn't the main thing on his mind. Right then, all he needed was a bathroom break. And sadly... he had to pass the kitchen to get to the bathroom.

He grimaced. "Dammit, who built this house? I'm gonna kill them..." Holding his breath and closing his eyes tightly, he ran full speed past the kitchen, just like he always did when he needed to go, just like he always did when no one was watching. Except for... that face. Kyou felt pathetic for it, yes, but someone _had_ to understand him, right? That face was scary!

Who cared if it was just a stain on the wood?

Years could pass and he'd still hate that stain. It was disturbing. He knew he wasn't alone in finding it creepy. The regular students and the maid who visited once a week had said something about it, too. However, Kyou was the only one who feared it. Yuki came by once, all bright eyes and repulsive aura. Kyou hid when he came in, scowling when his enemy stepped foot onto his territory. He remembered peeking around the corner and listening to what Yuki's reaction to the stain would be. The rat saw it... and only shuddered.

"Master Kazuma, what _is_ that thing?" Yuki had pointed up with all the childlike curiosity Kyou had grown to despise in him. Kazuma turned and looked.

"I really don't know. Probably just a stain on the wood. The builders must've been careless. It looks out of place in here." Kazuma's fingers touched the wood softly, drawing Kyou's full attention at the hideous mark and his teacher's strong hand. It almost looked like he was trying to calm the beast whose growls went unheard to the rat but blared in Kyou's head. The cat ran, rushing back to his room to sulk into his pillow.

And then Shigure came by once. There was a scratch on his hand and he'd come whining comically to Kazuma, reluctant to tell Hatori where it had come from. While the two men chatted on about Akito, Shigure saw the stain and stopped. "Whoo... That's ugly."

"You're not the first." Kazuma laughed and handed him a wet cloth. "Yuki dislikes it, as well. Many of my students do. In all honestly, Kyou's scared to death of that thing."

Kyou growled, angry someone was blabbing about his fears so freely. But Shigure just chuckled. "Children. What do you expect? You should paint over it. It really clashes with... well, everything."

"Kunimitsu's father offered, but he's been rather sick, so I told him later would be better." Kazuma stopped. "Oh, that's right... Kunimitsu should be over any second. Excuse me." And Kazuma walked out.

Everyone knew about the horrid stain. Kyou wouldn't have been the least bit surprised if it had reached Akito's ears... Not that the asshole would've cared much, but he was probably well aware of it.

Kazuma often saw Kyou just outside the hallway leading past the kitchen, looking as if he wanted to do something but was too afraid to try. He asked the cat several times if everything was okay, but Kyou just nodded his head and rushed back to his room. The man could've just left it at that, but concern was building, as he thought Kyou's problems went a little deeper (than, you know, a _stain_ on the wall). He tried several times to watch Kyou and see if he would do whatever it was he needed to do, but unfortunately Kyou never seemed to go through with it. After many vain attempts, he was about to give up and just let whatever phase Kyou was going through alone, but it ended up turning into something... rather serious.

First, Kyou wouldn't eat. As weeks went by, he seemed to get more freaked out over this unknown problem and refused to step foot near the hallway to the kitchen. For it, his body suffered, and reluctantly he only ate whatever Kazuma brought out to him on a dish for dinner, whatever poor fish had become the victim to the hellish flames Kazuma controlled under a frying pan while spacing out. Next, Kyou became paranoid. His eyes were always drifting around, checking the corners, becoming edgy and jumpy, as if expecting an ambush.

And then... the other students attacked him.

Kazuma saw it. Upon entering his home one afternoon, he could hear shouts and laughing coming from his kitchen. He remembered allowing two of his male teenage students to go in and cook something up, seeing as they, for some reason or another, couldn't return to their homes yet. And when Kazuma peeked in on what they could possibly be doing to cause such a commotion, it was then that he saw those two boys holding Kyou by the arms and forcing him near the wall.

"What's the matter, you baby? Scared of a little stain?" one boy sneered.

"Shut up! Leave me alone!" Kyou struggled relentlessly, trying to break away from their grip, but they were too strong. He was eventually lifted up by his arms, which caused great pain in the cat's body.

"Aww, poor little Kyou, afraid of a monster." The other boy started laughing. "Watch out, freak, the monster's gonna get ya!"

"STOP!" Kyou started to cry as the evil face of the stain neared him, growing larger and scaring the daylights out of him. Whining from the pain in his arms, he sniffed and tried to kick the wall to get away, but it grew closer and more disgusting no matter what he tried. He shut his eyes, trying to block it out, but just the mere knowledge of that stain being there in his face scared him, and he cried harder. "PUT ME DOWN!!"

"You little baby! I can't believe Master Kazuma took a wuss like you in! He'd be so ashamed right now!"

"Enjoy it while it lasts, brat. You _are_ his favorite after all."

"Yeah, little baby Kyou gets all the special treatment just 'cause you made your mom kill herself."

"Hey, I'll bet this is what your mom's face looks like right now!" The boys laughed and practically threw the boy at the wall, making him hit his head, then instantly releasing him to watch him drop on the floor and wallow in his pain and sorrow.

"That is enough."

The boys, including Kyou, all darted up to see Kazuma Souma stride in, arms folded within his robe as if he'd just enjoyed a stroll. Yet his eyes were serious, piercing, and very angry. Keeping his face calm, however, his glare fell upon the teenagers as he fought the urge to hiss at them.

"You two... I would like to see you outside, please. Go stand outside the dojo, and I'll be out there shortly."

"Y-Yes, sir!" The two boys stood straight, nearly shaking with fear. When no actions took place, Kazuma cleared his throat.

"Need I repeat myself?"

"N-No, sir!" And the boys were gone, out the door as if expecting gunfire to follow.

Kazuma's gaze then turned to Kyou, who sat a pitiful mess on the floor, one hand on his bruised and slightly bleeding forehead and another rubbing a sore shoulder. Shaking, he looked away, ashamed. "Sorry..."

"For what?"

Kyou looked up, seeing understanding and sympathy in his teacher's eyes. Once again finding no strength to return the gaze, he quickly stood, wincing at his sore back. "Sh-Should I go to my room?"

"Kyou..." Kazuma walked closer, then knelt down before the cat, who's red eyes refused to look up. "Is that what you've been scared of this whole time?"

The boy didn't answer.

"Does that stain seem so scary to you? Is that why you refused to come into the kitchen, or even walk down that hallway?"

The small red eyes looked up, Kyou's face tinted. "It looks like a face..."

Kazuma smiled. "It does, doesn't it?" He then stood. "Listen, you don't have to hide that from me... Feel free to let me know when you're scared... I don't mind, Kyou."

Kyou's eyes traveled to the stain again, then immediately looked away, stood silent for a moment, then began to cry. Inside, Kazuma panicked a little. He was used to telling kids, namely his students, that crying would be useless for a fight, and that usually bucked the kids right up. It always meant he didn't have to try and coo them and make them feel better... But for a man that had never had a son or any related figure of the sort... small crying children was like a tornado in Japan... No preparation and all panic.

Kazuma sighed and did the only thing he could think to do, something he knew always made him feel better when he was a child... He leaned down and picked up Kyou, who temporarily stopped his sobbing to peer with curious red eyes up at the man who held him. "Perhaps some crepe is in order. Would you like to go get some crepe?"

Kyou could only stare in wonder before finding himself in such a childish position and wiping angrily at his tears. Sniffling, he averted his gaze. "Crepe's fine..."

Kazuma smiled, letting out a big sigh on the inside. But as he began to walk out, he suddenly remembered his two troublemakers for students and turned serious again. "Give me just a moment, Kyou. I need to deal with those two real quick." Walking out of the kitchen and into the foyer, he let Kyou down, switched shoes, and walked out to the dojo, leaving Kyou to quickly get on his outside shoes for the big trip outside to get some crepe.

* * *

Years began to pass... Kyou still hated that stain. It was scary, and he still avoided the kitchen as much as possible. Every now and then, when forced to enter the kitchen, he cried, running out with Kunimitsu's occasional teasing following him. But, instead of running back to his room, he ran to Kazuma, grabbing his hand and lowering his head to hide his face. And each time, Kazuma knew exactly what was wrong and smiled warmheartedly at it. It was only a childish fear... Kyou would be over it sooner or later, but for now... Kazuma enjoyed it. Yes, it was torturous to Kyou, and probably very mean not to help him get over the fear, but he knew he would find it much more painful for Kyou not to have a reason to seek him out, to run and cry to him and ask him for protection from the evil child eating ogre in the kitchen. It was selfish of him... but to finally have a reason for Kyou to run _to_ him... was much better than anything he could've ever felt.

Kyou eventually turned 12... Through countless bullying, incidents, and painful moments, Kyou triumphed over the disgusting face in the kitchen. It was no longer an evil ogre that spit at him... It was now just a dark smudge on a fading memory Kyou very much wanted to forget.

Kazuma had taken on a few female students in his time. One by the name of Kaoruko Souma visited quite frequently, but not just for her lessons; She had quite the crush on Kazuma.

And Kyou. Despised. Her.

"Ooooh, Master Kazuma, Kyou's gotten so big!" The prancing idiot of a girl eventually found her way to Kyou as he entered the living room. Female arms threatened to encircle him, and upon instinct, he shoved a hand at her forehead to hold her back. Kazuma looked over his shoulder from his spot on the floor by the table and smiled. "He has, hasn't he? He's about your age, right Kaoruko? You two should date."

"WHAT???" both seemed to scream simultaneously. Except Kyou's was out of disgust. Kaoruko faked her delight.

"You mean I have your blessings?? Oh, thank you Master Kazuma!" She turned big brown eyes up at Kyou, who stared in disgust. "Actually, I'm a year older, but who cares! Let's get married, Kyou!"

"In your dreams, you psycho!" (It was so nice to say that to an oncoming girl without getting the crap beaten out of him).

Kaoruko seemed disappointed. She pouted and crossed her arms. "But Kaoruko is soooo cute! How could you not want me?"

"Feh." Kyou shrugged her off and turned for the kitchen, walking in without even giving her a second thought. "Master, I'm making lunch. What do you want?"

"Isn't there any riceballs left?"

"No."

"Gyoza, then."

"That'll take forever to cook!"

"The longer the wait, the sweeter the results." Kazuma waved his morals in the air like it were a training session in the dojo. Kyou rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. We're out of carrots, though."

"That's fine. I'll pick some up when I go out today."

"Kyou is so amazing!" Kaoruko danced into the kitchen, frolicking right up to the cat as he started taking out dishes. "You cook, too?"

"I _have_ to cook, or else we'd all be dead since Master can't cook to save his life. See that?" He pointed to a black spot on the wall above the stove. "He did that, cooking eggs."

Kaoruko's curious eyes stared in wonder. "Wow... He must really suck."

"You don't know the half of it."

Kazuma walked in, smiling. "I'll go out now. Is there anything else you needed?"

"Eggs," Kyou said, stopping to think for a minute. "Milk... Two things of milk... and light bulbs."

"Master Kazuma!" The happy girl jumped towards the man, grabbing his sleeve. "May I come?"

"No, stay here and keep Kyou company. He always gets so lonely by himself."

A deathly glare silenced the man, who chuckled and began to walk out. "It's going to rain later today, so stay inside, Kyou. And make sure the laundry's inside. And don't fall asleep before you finish your homework."

"I won't!' Kyou walked toward the entrance of the kitchen as Kazuma began to walk out. "I don't _always_ fall asleep during the rain!"

Kazuma laughed again, earning another glare from the cat.

"Uwaaah!"

Both of them turned around to see Kaoruko's pretty head peeking around from the side of the kitchen threshold. "Master Kazuma, what _is_ this disgusting mark on the wall? It's hideous! It looks like a face!" Her hands touched the wood, rubbing it to see if it would come off. "How can you just leave that there? Did you burn this wall, too?"

"It's just a stain," Kyou grumbled, walking back in and hitting the spot with the spatula he currently held. "Master said he'd get it painted over, but for some reason... has yet to do it." Kyou shot a look over his shoulder, this time more serious than angry. Kazuma's warmhearted smile met him back as he began to walk back in again.

"Yes, everyone does call it ugly... I guess I'm reluctant to paint over it now..."

"Huh? How come?" Again, they both said at the same time. Kazuma chuckled.

"I have my reasons."

"I know!" Kaoruko clapped her hands together once in delight as a brilliant epiphany suddenly struck her. "My father used to be a painter! An artistic one, but a painter nonetheless! I'm sure he has _some_ kind of wood paint at our house! I'll have him come by and take care of it!" She smiled big to both of them as if expecting congratulatory remarks. Kyou scoffed, giving a "Whatever," as his reply and turning to go back to his cooking duty. Kaoruko, upset by Kyou's lack of enthusiasm in her genius, quickly spun around. "Kyou! Don't you think my idea is great?? Kyou! Say your proud of me! Master Kazuma is!" No response. "_Kyoooou!"_ And out went her arms, and forward went her body, and "AAAH!" went Kyou as the sensations began to fill his head and his body tickled in some weird way.

Kaoruko met the wall, her back hitting rather hard as Kazuma towered over her, a hand on her shoulder to hold her there. His other arm was outstretched towards and somewhat into the kitchen, where a thud was heard and ruffling of cloth. The girl's wide eyes looked up at the suddenly much-closer teacher. She blushed. "Master Kazuma?"

"Kaoruko, as a matter of fact, I think I had better stay here. Do you think you could go get those groceries for me? I'll give you the money for them."

"Um... Where's Kyou?" Her head attempted to turn to look into the kitchen, but Kazuma quickly pulled her along, away from the threshold.

"We need large white eggs..."

"Kyou??"

"What?? I'm trying to cook in here!" came the cat's reply, somewhat fainter than it had sounded before,

"Two cartons of milk and light bulbs. Here you go." He handed her the money and tried to shoo her out the door, but she constantly peeked over her teacher's shoulder towards the kitchen. Kazuma sighed. "And then you may join us for dinner, if you like."

Brown eyes lit up like it had just been a marriage proposal rather than a simple dinner invitation. Smiling big, she nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, Master Kazuma! I will return soon!" And she was gone, ready to get through the afternoon just so she could share dinner with Kyou... and her beloved Kazuma.

The man gave an exhausted sigh, scratching the back of his head. This family curse thing was too difficult to manage... How did those kids survive everyday? He walked back to the kitchen, peeking in cautiously. There, on a pair of jeans, attempting to carefully pull the spatula off the ground and onto the cloth with just a paw, sat the little orange cat, looking quite angry. Kazuma smiled. "Either way, you're going to have to wash that."

Red eyes peered up, then sunk back down to the spatula as it refused to rise over a fold in the denim. "She didn't see, right?"

"I pulled here away before she could..." The man strode into the room, kneeling down in front of Kyou and giving him an amused smile. "You look somewhat helpless down there."

"Leave me alone..." Though, in all honesty, he _did_ feel helpless. The number one way to ruin a moment or a conversation in the Souma family was to watch your relative disappear into a puff of smoke, and then suddenly become something else, like say... a little orange cat. And as Kazuma's eyes watched the poor thing more, he began to laugh a little. Kyou's eyes looked up, questioning. "I'm sorry," the teacher apologized. "I just couldn't help but notice how small this form still is. Though, in reality, if you were a cat _all_ the time, you'd be full grown. Yet, since your lifespan doubles in the cat's form as well, it's age is slowed."

A blank fell on his face. "And?"

"Therefore, you still look like a kitten."

Kyou sputtered. "I AM NO KITTEN!"

"You're only twelve, Kyou."

"THAT'S NOT A KITTEN!"

"Should I take a picture and compare it to you five years from now?" Kazuma laughed as Kyou rose to all fours, hissing.

"I'll shred it before you get the chance!"

"Really?" Kazuma's laughing eased as he now just stared wordlessly at his student, who eventually noticed the gaze and looked away, embarrassed. Slowly, he sat back down.

"So why haven't you painted over that stain yet?" Kyou's quiet words came. "I mean, it _is_ ugly. Everyone hates it."

"I don't."

Kyou looked up.

"That mark has given me a fair amount of good memories."

Kyou perked. "Good memories?? How could that thing give you good memories? Don't you remember how scared I was of it??"

"And that makes the good memories." Kazuma smiled. Kyou went silent, unsure of how to respond. "Kyou... It was just a childish fear. Everyone had one. Some still do. It's like being afraid of the dark or the monsters under the bed, or the boogieman in your closet. The idea is scary up to a point of your life and then it just... disappears, and one day you think back on it and say 'I can't believe I was afraid of something so silly'."

"I fail to see what you're trying to get at. How is this all good memories?"

Kazuma chuckled. "The good part is when you were scared. I knew it was nothing to worry about, and eventually you would grow out of it on your own, so I just let it be. And in the meantime, I'd welcome you running to me scared. I'd welcome you crying or embarrassed, silent when you'd grab onto me to help you feel better. I felt like I was the shield that protected you from the evil monster in the kitchen."

Kyou's face tinted a little, looking away as he realized how childish it had been for him to do such things or think about the stain in such a way. "So you took pride in my stupid fear?"

"Not at all. I took pride in being the one to protect you _from_ that fear. For once, you weren't running away from me, and that brought me more happiness than you'll ever know."

Then there was a poof! And then there was Kyou, back in his regular body, sitting on his clothes like he had as the cat, with his hands flat against the floor in front of him and his legs on either side, hunched forward. Neither of them really noticed that moment though. Kyou was still embarrassed, eyes averting from his teacher's, and Kazuma smiling kindly.

"Do you understand now, Kyou?"

Silence... "You know, _my_ memories of that spot aren't too happy... Don't you remember those kids? And how they teased me?"

"Which also reminds me of how I expelled them for abusing the strength I had taught them."

Kyou looked up. "You did?"

"Yes... Which makes me happy, too."

Another moment of silence... Kyou unsure of what to say and Kazuma kindly waiting for a response. Finally, frustrated with his own embarrassment, Kyou yanked his jeans out from under him and clumsily put them on while still sitting on the floor. Kazuma smiled and shook his head, standing and walking out of the kitchen.

"Gyoza, Kyou. At least ten. I'm starving," Kazuma spoke as he headed out of the room, and as the cat shot him a glare, daring him to say that again, he noticed something peculiar, but something that also made him feel... a little better, more comfortable. As he left, Kazuma's hand lifted to run his hand over the stain on the wall once, without even looking at it, and walked out as if it had been an absentminded gesture, like one performed out of habit. And then Kyou thought, 'How many times has he done that? Is that his routine every time he walks out of the kitchen?'

Kyou pulled his shirt over his head, straightening it out as he stood and walked to the wall, staring with intent at the ugly mark and wondering just how many times his teacher had done that. Carefully and slowly, as if expecting the horrid face to bite him, he put his own hand to the wall and touched the mark. The stain itself was no different than the wall. The texture, the pattern was no different that the rivulets in the wood. He stared carefully at it, as if looking for an unknown answer to some unknown question. And then, out of his own habit, every time he felt himself thinking about this stupid stain, his other hand touched to his forehead, feeling for the small scar left after he had been slammed into the wood by those jerks. Yup, it was still there, still reminding him of that moment and how much he hated that stain.

...How much he hated himself.

This house could be the Souma family, and that stain was Kyou. It was unwelcome, unnatural, and unappealing to everyone who saw it. Everyone wanted to get rid of it. Everyone hated it. Everyone thought it was ugly... But Kazuma. Kazuma, the only one stupid enough to keep a stain around all because of a few good memories mixed with some bitter ones... Kazuma, who could find joy in the most ridiculous things... That man wouldn't even paint over a stain to make it disappear so that the house looked whole and clean again.

Kazuma would never get rid of Kyou, of the stain.

He vaguely remembered seeing all the times the man had touched the stain, running his hand over it softly as if trying to calm it, when everyone else pointed at it accusingly and called it 'ugly'. Kazuma never argued with anyone else about their opinions on the stain, knowing it would only end worse, and simply gave his opinion and just smiled at that mark like a nostalgic memory. All of this... was the exact same way... he treated Kyou.

Kyou sighed, letting his hand fall away from the stain... then growled.

"If that was the _real_ reason he doesn't wanna paint over it, he should've just said so instead of buttering it up with that stupid 'I love it when your scared' bullcrap."

Grumbling, he picked up his spatula, washed it off, and attempted to start lunch again... thinking of maybe adding a few more dumplings onto Kazuma's plate... just to make up for everything.

...And maybe a little bit of wasabi in those dumplings just to get him back.

* * *

Ze end.

* * *

AN: Finished! Fruits Basket story number 1,000,987! Ah well, I love Fruits Basket! And Kyou and Kazuma! This story took a little while, but not nearly as long as some others. I had no idea what the ending was gonna be. It was totally improvised past the part where Kyou puts his pants back on (That kinda sounds wrong).

Like it? Hate it? Despise it with a fiery burning rat vs. cat passion? Make ya wanna rip off your beads and attack me with a hideous cat-lizard monster form? Whatever floats your boat, just review!

Review or no gyoza for you! Or eggs! Or light bulbs!


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